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Location: United States

Member Since: Oct. 22, 2010

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Catherine McGrew Jaime

Biography

Homeschool Mom of 12, Historian, and Author

Smashwords Interview

What have you been up to lately, and what are you working on next?

I'm just finishing up an economics textbook, and then I look forward to starting the fourth novel in my Life and Travels of da Vinci series. So far I've been averaging about one novel per year on da Vinci. I don't know how long the series will be when I finish it, since the first two books, Leonardo the Florentine and Leonardo: Masterpieces in Milan each covered decades of his life, and the latest one, Leonardo: To Mantua and Beyond, only covered six months of his life.

Who are your favorite authors?

I love to read and write historical fiction, so not surprisingly my favorite author is Jeff Shaara. His are among the few books that I will actually rush out and pay full price for when they come out. I think historical fiction is a great way to learn about history, and I hope that my historical novels will succeed in having even a portion of the influence on others that Shaara's have had on me.

Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton, and Planned Parenthood v. Casey - 3 landmark Supreme Court Cases dealing with abortions. Here in one place are important excerpts from all three cases. This book was put together by a conservative lay person for other conservatives.
Examples of some of what you will find in the book: “The Constitution does not explicitly mention any right of privacy. In a line of d

Family-friendly historical fiction: The year is 1912. Gracie Jones awaits the return of her good friend, Cornelia Vanderbilt. Cornelia is due to arrive home soon on the maiden voyage of the Titanic, along with her parents, George and Edith Vanderbilt. After the family arrives back in the states safely, Gracie joins them for some time in New York City, before joining them for a trip to Biltmore.

This historically based novel begins with Leonardo traveling from Venice to Florence with his good friend, and traveling companion, Luca Pacioli. The story follows Leonardo as he sets up his new workshop and begins to take on new painting commissions. Leonardo is surprised to be asked by the Florentine government to join Cesare Borgia as a military advisor, and the real adventures begin.

This Teacher Key gives the answers for the optional mid-term exam and final exam in Simply Put: A Study in Economics Student Book. It is not meant to be a stand-alone product, but is meant to accompany the Student Book.

This book was written to be an alternative to high school economic textbooks (particularly for homeschoolers).
Warning, it is clearly written by a fiscal conservative!
This student book includes 36 lessons, and an optional mid-term exam and final. (The answers and two optional classroom activities are available in the printed Teachers' Key, and just the answers are in the ebook version).

Have you thought about cruising, but wonder how you could afford it?
Have you dreamed of seeing far off places, but don't know where to begin?
Do you wonder if you would get bored seeing all that water?
Muffin Puffin is the veteran of three cruises - one each with Princess, Carnival, and Royal Caribbean. She shares what she has discovered along the way to what she considers the ideal vacation.

Join Muffin Puffin as she goes on her second cruise - this one across the Gulf of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula where she visits Progresso and Cozumel. She shares the fun they had as they cruised, along with historical facts she learned, and cruising tips.

Money, power, and control - does it get much better or more important?
In this short e-book Catherine addresses those issues as they impact Executive Departments and Presidential Cabinets. She includes a list of the Executive Departments and their descriptions, a brief timeline, the Constitutional context, and a little more.

Frederick Bastiat was a French economist living in the early and mid-1800's, but his economic and political insight is timeless. Here, in this small e-booklet, Catherine shares many of his key points, along with a limited amount of commentary. If you are a conservative and have never read Bastiat's Essays, this is a great way to be introduced to them!

Book 11 in the Horsey and Friends series: Parker P. Platypus has joined Catherine's government club students on their latest field trip - this one to 3 major Civil War sites (Manassas, Gettysburg, and Appomattox Court House and then Booker T. Washington's Birth Home.
Parker and her friends share pictures, facts, and stories, from their latest trip.

What do Cappadocia, Shkodra, and Wuerzburg have in common? Across the miles and through the ages they have been the site of attacks: during invasions and during battles. We often think of those attacks in terms of the total number of people injured and killed and the amount of property damage done. But we often lose track of the individuals who go through the attacks–the individuals on both sides.

The third story in Catherine's "Attack Trilogy," The Attack on Wuerzburg is a short story set in Wuerzburg, Germany towards the end of World War II. It covers an actual bombing on the city by the allied forces from the perspective of a mother and her children, a priest, and several soldiers. Each tell the story as the attack unfolds.

The year is 1478. The Turks are on the attack. One of the places in their way is Shkodra. They are not expecting the defense put up there by the Albanians and Italians.
This short story follows the attack through the eyes of a mother, a priest, and two of the soldiers involved.
Early reviews of the book:
"Great story of faith and courage! I really enjoyed it."
"Wow, what a story."

Cappadocia is under attack from marauding soldiers during the Byzantine Empire. This short story follows a mother, a group of kids, a priest and a soldier as they react to the attack.
The story was inspired by a trip to the region of Cappadocia (Turkey) with its history and unusual geology.

...Or Should There?
We take for granted that laws are a necessary part of society. But does everything need to be regulated? Do more laws make us more secure? Happier? Or do they just grow government?
This little booklet, clearly written by a fiscal conservative, takes a look at a number of important and economic and governmental topics. It is intentionally brief.

What happens when a major storm barrels through an area? In addition to the tragedy of loss of life and loss of property that accompanies so many of these storms, we also see shortages and cries of price gauging.
In this short work on the topic, Catherine lays out her argument for why price gauging is not evil, and that artificially maintaining low prices in a crisis situation is not virtuous.

The year is 1499. The French are invading Milan and the Duke is going into hiding. What will Leonardo da Vinci do? Will he heed the advice of his good friend Luca Pacioli and flee the city also? Or will he stay and try to live in the same city with the likes of Cesare Borgia?
And once he has decided to leave, can he really bring himself to go to Mantua, and be at the mercies of Isabella d'Este?

For many young writers the most difficult part of their task is getting started. They want to write, but don’t know where to begin. And oftentimes when they do begin, they are overwhelmed by the risks of improper spelling or improper punctuation.
This e-book takes away the writer’s block and the risks. It gives struggling writers starting points and enough minimal direction to get them writing.

Sometimes the hardest part of writing is just beginning. Catherine makes that part a little easier for writers of all ages and experience. Here she gives you ninety starting points - little prompts to get the creative juices going and the pencil moving. That gives you enough to do at least a bit of writing every day for three months, or every school day for one semester.

Too often we brush over the American Revolution when we are studying U.S. History or U.S. Government.
My desire here is to make some of the major people and events of the American Revolution come alive for students of all ages. This play can be enjoyed when read silently, for a different look at the American Revolution.

As we move closer to a presidential election we often start to pay closer attention to the act of electing a president - the primaries, caucuses, and the Electoral College.
But how did we come to this point? What is the constitutional background of the Executive Branch? What did the founders consider when they put this into place over two hundred years ago?
See these short and simple answers!

Every four years citizens of the United States go to the polling places in November to cast their vote for the next President of the United States. But few realize all that has gone in to the selection of one or both of the main candidates on the ballot. This little book will help explain primaries, caucuses, open vs. closed, pledged vs. unpledged, and more.

January 6, Epiphany, The Magi, The Star They Followed...What do we know? What is simply stories?
Scripture, legends, Christmas carols, poem, history and more.
A great way to bring your CHRISTmas season to a close.

How did Leonardo paint his Last Supper mural?
Why is it so famous?
Why is it in such bad shape?
This short e-book attempts to give the reader a look at those questions and numerous other ones. A great intro those who want "just a little bit more" on this intriguing topic.

I have been a fan of Shakespeare for many, many years, and have been helping students enjoy reading his plays for over a decade. But sometimes, when a student or adult wants to enjoy Shakespeare without the benefit of a group to read the plays aloud with, it would be nice to have Shakespeare in the form of a novel.

Who were the Pilgrims? When and why did they come to America? And who were the Puritans, the Separatists, and the Strangers? Are these terms interchangeable? This VERY short e-book will answer these questions and several others.
(In the interest of full disclosure, the informational part of this e-book is ~1,000 words...But they are very informative words!!!)

The antics of two little princesses as they decorate their bedroom wall, have a pillow fight, scare away dragons, and more...based on the true life adventures of two sisters who lived in a rather modest home instead of a castle...

Book 6 in the Horsey and Friends series: Join Henrietta as she journeys to Dearborn, Michigan to visit Henry Ford's Greenfield Village, possibly the largest outdoor museum in the world. Whether you are planning a trip to the Detroit area, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, you will enjoy Henrietta's story, illustrated with over 100 photographs of this amazing place.

This is the second book in the Horsey and Friends series. In this adventure, our stuffed raccoon travels to Washington D.C. with five teenage guys and two Moms. An exciting time is had by all. Whether you are planning a family trip to D.C. or not, you will enjoy Bandit's adventure.

A lapbook is a portable project filled with pictures and other neat information about a topic. It's a great hands-on way for students to start learning about a topic, or to wrap up a study. But many teachers/parents are intimidated by where to begin with these great resources. Our goal is to take the unknown out of lapbooking and show you how easy it is to incorporate lapbooks.

This is the fifth book in our Horsey and Friends series. Our stuffed puffin tells the tale of our cruise to Alaska. Whether you are considering a cruise to Alaska yourself or are just wondering what the big deal is, Muffin Puffin will be happy to share with you.
Includes pictures of the trip!

For those who are interested in Shakespeare, but are intimidated by it, I have worked to make his Much Ado About Nothing more understandable. I have taken most of the original dialogue and tried to add just enough scene and character identification to make the play make sense. For Shakespeare novices, I hope you enjoy this novel look at one of my favorite Shakespeare comedies!

It's the hot, miserable summer of 1787 in Philadelphia. Will the delegates at the Grand Convention succeed or fail at their mission? Will they amend the Articles of Confederation as instructed? Or are they up to something else?
This historically based novel follows the story through the eyes of a young British immigrant who is keeping an eye on the delegates throughout the summer.

Leonardo da Vinci came to Milan a broke, unemployed artist. He left Milan 16 years later as a broke, unemployed artist, fleeing the French. But in the years in between he worked for Duke Lodovico, painting the Last Supper, designing an Equestrian Monument, planning several wedding festivities, and much more.
If you enjoyed Leonardo the Florentine, you will enjoy Leonardo: Masterpieces in Milan!

The debates at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia have intrigued me for some time now. While researching the participants in those debates, I ran across a number of their letters and diaries from that summer. As I read the letters, I was struck by their hopes and frustrations, that they often so freely shared with others through their writings.
I present many of those writings here.

Here in 160 pages Catherine Jaime brings you the Constitutional Convention delegates and their debates, set in play format. Here you can become more familiar with the hard work of not just James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and many others.
The play is great for a high school class studying U.S. Government, and for the motivated individual who wants to learn more about that important event.

Not everyone has dreams of writing and publishing dozens of books, but it seems that every time I turn around I meet someone who has at least one book they would like to publish, but they don't know where to begin. Most haven't begun because they don't know where to start, or are concerned about the costs.
Here I share tips from my exciting self-publishing journey over the last year.

This book introduces you to the highlights of the Civil Rights Movement across the state of Alabama: The Montgomery Bus Boycott, the "Scottsboro Boys", the Selma to Montgomery March, the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and many more important events all took place within the borders of Alabama.

This family-friendly story relives the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the eyes of York, Captain Clark's personal slave. As York shares the stories of his adventures and trials with his grandchildren, we see the difficulties they experienced and the trials they endured.
The facts included in the story are based on extensive research in the Lewis and Clark Journals.

This little book includes:
A Brief Look at Advent and CHRISTmas; CHRISTmas Traditions Around the World; CHRISTmas Scriptures and Hymns; and CHRISTmas Carols and Their History.
A great little resource if you are looking for more about the history and traditions of this important holiday.

This "play" can be read aloud in a class of any size, or read silently by one or more students, to give a feel for what it took to get the Declaration written and passed.
I have researched the debates of the Second Continental Congress, and the delegates to arrive at this dialog.

There are many, many documents that came before the U.S. Constitution, and contributed to it directly or indirectly. I have gathered together the ones that I found very useful in my studies of the Constitution.
These work well for a “compare and contrast” study between any of the various documents and each other, and between these and the Constitution itself.

If you are confused about what the Electoral College is, or how it works, this little book is for you. Catherine answers:
1) When was the Electoral College instituted and why?
2) How many electors are there? How are they divided?
3) What is the difference between a Democracy and a Republic?
5) What is the difference between a plurality and a majority?

Between Dee and Cathy they have 14 children; and have traveled throughout the country (and in various parts of the world) with their respective families, logging hundreds of thousands of miles. They like short trips, long trips, and pretty much any kinds of trips...Day trips, multi-week trips...They've traveled in mini vans, big vans, RVs, jeeps...They've camped, stayed with friends, and more...

Much has happened in the history of our country as the races have struggled through how to relate to each other. Some of it has been good – much of it has been very sad. I have not attempted to chronicle everything along the road to equity between the races: This annotated timeline contains the high and low points along that path.

We studied Jamestown in great depth a few years ago, just in time for the 400 year anniversary. I was surprised how little a knew about the settlement and its history. This little booklet came out of my research. I hope you enjoy getting to know this fascinating history as much as we did.

What makes this book different from others about Leonardo? Most books on Da Vinci for kids have very little information, and those geared for adults generally have too much. This book is complete enough to give a good picture of who Leonardo was and what he accomplished, without overwhelming readers; interesting for those who may know nothing about him and for those who know lots about him.